Chicago White Sox top Royals 2-0 to snap 14-game skid in Kansas City behind Anthony Kay’s strong start
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Anthony Kay ’s last major-league victory came in 2021.
The left-hander, who spent 2024 and 2025 pitching in Japan, made his way back into the win column on Thursday as the Chicago White Sox topped the Kansas City Royals 2-0 in front of 13,001 at Kauffman Stadium.
“It’s a long time coming, almost five years since my last big-league win,” Kay said. “It’s definitely really cool.”
It also had been a long time since the Sox won in Kansas City. Thursday’s victory marked the team’s first at Kauffman Stadium since Sept. 6, 2023 — ending a streak of 14 consecutive defeats at the ballpark.
“Any win you get is great, and certainly with the history of how we’ve played in this ballpark, did see some of that last year where it was seven games and some tough losses here,” Sox manager Will Venable said. “We’re excited about every win. And certainly to come to this ballpark where we haven’t been playing well and to play well was nice too.”
Kay scattered three hits, struck out six, walked two and hit two batters in 5 2/3 innings. He matched a career high in innings pitched.
“He had the offspeed going in the zone,” Venable said. “Kept them off-balanced with a good fastball as well. The story for him was really the offspeed stuff in the zone.”
Kay earned his first win since June 24, 2021, while with the Toronto Blue Jays against the Baltimore Orioles .
“Any time you can put the team into a good position to win the game and have the bullpen, the rest of the team finish it, it definitely feels good,” said Kay, who signed a two-year deal with the Sox in the offseason.
Kay and relievers Grant Taylor , Jordan Leasure and Seranthony Domínguez held the Royals to five hits as the Sox recorded their second shutout of the season.
Kay received run support in the fourth. Munetaka Murakami led off the inning with a walk. Colson Montgomery then hit a liner that skipped past right fielder Lane Thomas . Murakami scored from first on the double, giving the Sox a 1-0 lead.
“He wants to run, he wants to steal some bases and he’s confident in his ability to run, so it was great to see and obviously a huge play,” Venable said of Murakami.
Defensive support came in the fifth when Miguel Vargas fielded a hard-hit grounder by Bobby Witt Jr. and threw him out at first to end the inning.
“It gives you more confidence to be aggressive in the zone,” Kay said of the defense. “If they hit it, you know your guys are going to go out and make the plays. It leads to more confidence in the zone.”
Kay retired the first two batters in the sixth but then surrendered a single and hit Jac Caglianone , which led to some staring by both parties along the walk to first.
“Those guys like to chirp a little bit, it seems like,” Kay said. “I don’t think we are going to take that anymore. We are going to go right at them.”
Taylor entered and got Jonathan India to fly out to left field.
The Sox added a run in the seventh without the benefit of a hit. Andrew Benintendi and Dustin Harris walked against Royals starter Seth Lugo . The Royals made a pitching change, and reliever John Schreiber got Edgar Quero to hit a grounder to first. Vinnie Pasquantino ’s throw to second was off the mark, and everyone was safe.
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Luisangel Acuña followed with a sacrifice fly to right field, extending the lead to 2-0.
“Was a really nice job,” Venable said of Acuña’s at-bat.
As for the offense as a whole, Venable said: “Just enough today, another good day from the offense.”
Taylor got out of a two-out jam in the seventh, as Chase Meidroth made a nice diving stop at second on a hard-hit grounder by Pasquantino and threw him out at first, stranding two runners.
The Royals threatened again in the ninth, but Domínguez worked around a leadoff walk — striking out Maikel Garcia and Witt to wrap up the win.
“Right after that (walk), I talked to myself and said, ‘Throw strikes, do your thing,'” Domínguez said. “Got a fly ball, got a couple punchies.”
The Sox (5-8) snapped a three-game losing streak. And a much longer skid in Kansas City.
